Home Office

Marriage Certificates

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on the review of information contained on marriage certificates; and when she plans to bring forward proposals to allow mothers' names to be recorded on marriage certificates.

James Brokenshire: It is right that marriage certificates are updated to reflect changes in society since they were first introduced in 1837. We are working with interested parties to consider the options for doing this.It is likely that this will involve changes to administrative processes, IT systems and legislation. When we have completed assessment of the options, we will bring forward proposals to introduce the necessary changes.

Asylum

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for asylum were made within (a) one week, (b) one month, (c) three months, (d) six months, (e) between six months and one year and (f) more than one year of the applicant's arrival in the UK in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: In order to obtain the information requested by the Honourable Member the Home Office would need to do a manual search of all case files which would only be achievable at a disproportional cost.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Hong Kong

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent contracts his Department has had with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: Ministers and Government Officials maintain a regular dialogue with all sides of the constitutional reform debate in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Central People’s Government, and representatives of pro-democracy groups. During my visit to Hong Kong in January, I met with the President of the Legislative Council as well as a number of legislators from a range of parties, and with a range of views on the constitutional reform debate. I previously met with two prominent pro-democracy figures, Anson Chan and Martin Lee, during their visit to London in July. Separately, the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg) also met with them. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued statements on the situation in Hong Kong on both 29 September and 2 October and I issued a Written Ministerial Statement on 13 October. The Government’s next Six Monthly Report on Hong Kong will be published in February.

Attorney General

Victims

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Attorney General, what training Crown prosecutors receive on victims issues.

Mr Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has developed a number of online e-Learning courses which specifically relate to victims’ issues. These are: The Victims’ Code; Victim Personal Statements; Supporting Vulnerable Victims and Witnesses; The Prosecutors’ Pledge; and Special Measures (three courses: Parts 1-3).In addition, victims’ issues are incorporated into training on prosecuting specific types of offending, such as: domestic violence; child sexual abuse; rape and serious sexual assaults; hate crime; stalking and harassment; human trafficking; and forced marriage and honour-based violence.The CPS is presently consulting publicly on the draft guidance on prosecutors speaking to victims and witnesses at court, and training will be designed to underpin that guidance once it has been finalised.

Church Commissioners

Churches

Andrew George: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what powers parochial church councils possess to convey (a) capital, (b) property and (c) other assets to a local community organisation or charity they are (i) seeking to assist and (ii) whose objections or plan they support.

Sir Tony Baldry: A Parochial Church Council is a statutory corporation established for the purpose, among other more specific functions, of "co-operating with the minster in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical”. The Parochial Church Council may properly convey money or property to another charity or community organisation if it considers that doing so would further this charitable purpose. A transfer of land would require the consent of the diocesan authority. No consent is required for a transfer of money or other property.

Churches

Andrew George: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many and which parochial church councils (a) have and (b) have not registered their entitlement to the benefit of recovery of channel repair liability.

Sir Tony Baldry: Each Parochial Church Council is an independent charity and it is for them to individually determine whether or not to register chancel repair liabilities in accordance with their responsibilities set out by the Charity Commission. No central register is kept.

Churches

Andrew George: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many court cases have been brought by parochial church councils to recover channel repair liability since the Aston Cantlow judgement by the House of Lords in 2003.

Sir Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners are not aware of any litigation by Parochial Church Councils relating to chancel repair liability since the Aston Cantlow case.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animals: Poisoning

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of animals which died from consumption of ethylene-glycol based anti-freeze in the last year; and what steps the Government has taken to reduce the number of animal deaths from ingestion of that substance.

Dan Rogerson: We have no estimate for the number of animals that have died from ingesting anti-freeze. In common with most chemicals supplied for domestic use, anti-freeze is covered by the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations. These require suppliers of dangerous chemicals to give information about the potential hazards to their customers, usually provided on the package itself.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Coastal Communities Fund

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, persuant to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 906630, what the 117 projects funded by the Coastal Communities Fund are.

Penny Mordaunt: A table (attached) has been placed in the Library of the House giving details of the 211 projects awarded grants under the Coastal Communities Fund to date. These include the 117 projects referred to in the Answer of 15 December 2014 and a further 94 projects which have been awarded grants from the Fund since then. The table covers all grants awarded in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.



Table of CCF Projects
(Excel SpreadSheet, 84.02 KB)

HM Treasury

Minimum Wage

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers were fined the maximum penalty for breaches of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 in each month of 2014 to date.

Mr David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage very seriously and has increased the financial penalty percentage from 50% to 100% of the unpaid wages owed to workers, and the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. These new limits are now in force where arrears are identified in pay reference periods on or after 7 March 2014. The Government will also bring in primary legislation as soon as possible so that the maximum £20,000 penalty can apply to each underpaid worker.I am unable to provide in-year figures for 2014/15 as HM Revenue and Customs do not disclose results mid-way through a year; this is because the results have not been internally verified. In an effort to assist I have provided the verified figures up to the year 2013/14, which provides numbers of the maximum penalties issued up until April 2014."

Revenue and Customs

Shabana Mahmood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the compliance yield of the Large Business Service team of HM Revenue and Customs was in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15 to date.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC’s) Large Business Service dealt with the tax affairs of around 800 of the largest businesses in the UK up to 31 March 2014. HMRC’s approach has enabled it to recover £22bn in additional compliance revenues from large businesses dealt with by Large Business Service between April 2010 and March 2013 as follows:2013-14 - £5.94bn2012-13 - £5.28bn2011-12 - £5.04bn2010-11 - £5.74bn2009-10 - £4.56bn2008-09 - £4.86bn From 1 April 2014 HMRC’s new Large Business (LB) directorate deals with the tax affairs of the 2,100 largest businesses in the UK.

Revenue and Customs

Shabana Mahmood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff of each grade resigned from the Corporation Tax International and Stamps team of HM Revenue and Customs in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15 to date.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff of each grade worked in the Corporation Tax International and Stamps team of HM Revenue and Customs in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15 to date.

Mr David Gauke: The Corporation Tax International and Stamps team of HM Revenue and Customs did not exist until March 2014. Annual statistics are not available for 2014/15

Minimum Wage: Enforcement

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time between a national minimum wage infringement first being reported and the issue of the resulting Notice of Underpayment was in the last year for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many HM Revenue and Customs staff worked on national minimum wage enforcement in each of the last five years.

Mr David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) very seriously. HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. In addition, HMRC undertake targeted enforcement on employers across the United Kingdom who are more likely to be not paying NMW.   Those employed by HMRC undertaking work on NMW are detailed in the table below. Staff across HMRC contribute to enforcing NMW, including people who work in legal advice, debt management, technical support and criminal investigation amongst others, but HMRC does not record specific numbers of those staff involved beyond those identified below.   YearStaff in Post2008/091492009/101542010/111592011/121622012/131732013/14181   HMRC does not hold information on the issue date of Notices of Underpayment. Our management information for all NMW cases records investigation time taken until final closure.

Social Services: Pay

Paul Burstow: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the contribution of 13 January 2015 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Official Report, column 222WH, on care sector, on what date each of the 94 cases was first raised with HM Revenue and Customs; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the contribution of 13 January 2015 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Official Report, columns 218-22WH, on care sector, if he will make it his policy to enable third parties to make formal complaints about breaches of national minimum wage rules and for them to be kept informed of the progress and outcome of investigations; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the contribution of 13 January 2015 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Official Report, columns 218-22WH, on care sector, when the last round of proactive investigation work by HM Revenue and Customs (a) began and (b) finished; when the current proactive work began; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) very seriously and has increased the financial penalty percentage from 50% to 100% of the unpaid wages owed to workers, and the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. These new limits are now in force where arrears are identified in pay reference periods on or after 7 March 2014. The Government is in the process of introducing primary legislation so that the maximum £20,000 penalty will apply to each underpaid worker.   In response to the questions arising from the contribution of 13 January 2015 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Official Report, columns 218- 222WH, on the care sector:   Investigations into the 94 cases have been underway since 29 December 2011 – largely stemming from the particular period of enforcement referred to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business.   HMRC already accept third party complaints and review all information received. All information received from third parties is handled sensitively. HMRC are unable to give feedback to third parties on any action taken or progress made, as all worker information is strictly confidential.   HMRC’s proactive work informing the ‘National Minimum Wage: Compliance in the social care sector’ report, commenced in April 2011 and evaluated enforcement in the social care sector over the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013. We are continuing to evaluate this work, and HMRC are undertaking new targeted enforcement work in the care sector as set out by the BIS Minister on 15 January 2015.

Trident

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the benefits to the public purse of the cancellation of the replacement for the Trident successor programme.

Danny Alexander: This Government is committed to maintain a credible and effective continuous at-sea deterrent. The Government will take a final decision to replace the existing Vanguard class submarines subject to the Main Gate decision point, expected in 2016. As with all Government investment decisions, HM Treasury will scrutinise the Value for Money case carefully. The Trident Alternatives Review, published in July 2013, sets out the expected costs of a like-for-like replacement as well as those for alternative delivery systems and postures.